Documentation as Code Practice

A Documentation as Code Practice is a software engineering practice that applies software development methodologies to documentation creation and maintenance through version control, automated testing, and continuous integration.

• AKA: Docs as Code Practice, Documentation as Software Practice, Code-Style Documentation Practice.
• Context:
  • It can typically utilize Version Control Systems through Git-based documentation workflows.
  • It can typically implement Continuous Integration Pipelines through documentation build automation.
  • It can typically enforce Documentation Testing Practices through automated validation checks.
  • It can typically apply Code Review Processes through pull request documentation reviews.
  • It can typically maintain Documentation Version History through commit tracking mechanisms.
  • It can often integrate Static Site Generators through documentation build tools.
  • It can often support Collaborative Documentation Development through branch-based workflows.
  • It can often enable Documentation Rollback Capability through version control features.
  • It can often facilitate Documentation Quality Gates through automated check enforcement.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Basic Documentation as Code Practice to being an Advanced Documentation as Code Practice, depending on its tooling sophistication.
  • It can range from being a Markdown-Based Documentation as Code Practice to being a Multi-Format Documentation as Code Practice, depending on its format support breadth.
  • It can range from being a Single-Repository Documentation as Code Practice to being a Multi-Repository Documentation as Code Practice, depending on its repository organization.
  • It can range from being a Developer-Only Documentation as Code Practice to being a Cross-Team Documentation as Code Practice, depending on its adoption scope.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Static Site Documentation Practices, such as:
    • Jekyll Documentation Practice for GitHub Pages documentation.
    • Sphinx Documentation Practice for Python project documentation.
    • MkDocs Documentation Practice for project documentation sites.
  • API Documentation as Code Practices, such as:
    • OpenAPI Documentation Practice for REST API specification.
    • GraphQL Documentation Practice for GraphQL schema documentation.
  • Infrastructure Documentation as Code Practices, such as:
    • Terraform Documentation Practice for infrastructure configuration documentation.
    • Ansible Documentation Practice for playbook documentation.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Word Processor Documentation, which lacks version control integration.
  • Wiki-Based Documentation, which lacks build automation capability.
  • PDF-Only Documentation, which lacks source control management.
  • Manual Documentation Process, which lacks automation pipeline integration.
• See: Software Engineering Practice, Infrastructure as Code Practice, Continuous Integration Practice, Version Control System, Documentation Automation System, Technical Documentation System, Prompt-as-Code Practice, Documentation as Architecture Framework.

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